ChildrenÆs literature or books as defined by Wynne-Davies (p. 403) represent ôA variety of books of various genres specifically written to appeal to, educate, inform, and entertain younger, non-adult readers.ö In reading, children like adults often fulfill a series of needs that include a need for liberation from the restraints and confines of everyday life, a need for beauty and order, a need for healthy change, a need for information and knowledge about the world and its people, and a need to identify the self with themes, ideas and issues larger and more expansive than the self. As such, childrenÆs literature and its illustration have an enormous impact on shaping child developing, including views, values, social behavior, and other aspects of growth. In a review of various childrenÆs books, this analysis will demonstrate that illustrations and language are inextricable in childrenÆs stories, in ways that can often lead to negative views from a sociological perspective.
If we look at the interdependent connection between illustrations and text and its impact on social development, we need only explore various depictions of minorities or, specifically, African Americans in childrenÆs books through time. Accuracy and validity of text are no more nor no less important than accuracy and validity of illustrations in shaping attitudes among children. In her book Shadow and Substance, Rudine Sims (p. 49) uses the term ôculturally consciousö in her evaluation of American childrenÆs books for cultural authenticity. As Sims argues, ôCulturally conscious literature is that in which the author is sensitive to aspects of African American culture and consciously seeks to depict a fictional Afro-American life experience.ö
In an increasingly diverse culture and classroom, it is even more significant that both text and illustrations retain accuracy and validity for diverse readers. However, the representation of African Am...